waste oil pump

[fred kobs]

Need to get back to my waste oil burner project. It is an old house fuel oil heater. Have had limited success but can,t get the btu's out of it that I need. I have been trying to find a pump that intermittently puts out a squirt of oil about the equivalent of a golden rod oil can. We had a used oil burner in the shop back in the early 90's that was built, I think in Lincoln NE and sold mostly by word of mouth at the time with such a pump. It ran on an eccentric and was adjustable. We ran thousands of gallon thru it without much trouble and was a simple setup. I have beat the net up and down and cannot find what I want. Any ideas? With what I have built and tried so far really requires a pump of some sort. Gravity feed hasn't been of much use. Thanks for any ideas on this venture. Fred

 

[Shoprat]

Fred, I can't help you on that but please keep us updated on your progress. I will check with a couple guys I know who use waste oil heaters.

 

[Steve@Advance]

Search 'automatic lube systems'.

Look for a pump used to pressurize the auto lube system on a machine tool.

Buying new would be very expensive, but you can get some idea what's out there, find a used one on Ebay or such.

 

[Mule Meat]

Look into Peristaltic pumps or maybe miniature Dosing Pumps .

If you have a setup like I am thinking. Oil in a pan. It does not matter how much oil you dump in it. The BTUs will stay the same. For only the oil on the surface will burn. Think of it this way. A coffee can with 1 inch of oil will have the same surface area burning as it would if the can was full.

 

[Butch(OH)]

My waste oil furnace is a Lannair that was rebuilt and modified by Central Ohio Heaters. They use what they call a cruise control pump . It is a positive displacement pump running at a very low speed and does exactly what you want to do. Pretty sure they sell it as a separate item. My furnace burns any suitable oil at any temp with perfect regulation.
Central Ohio Heaters

 

[Keith True]

Years ago I had a Lanair drip type waste oil furnace.Really just a glorified pot burner.It used a 15 RPM motor to run the drip pump.When that died I found a small pump,it was close but still too fast,it may have been from Graingers.I put a spray gun regulator inline,and that did a good job of controlling the flow.The only ones that I knew of making drip type waste oil furnaces back then was Lanair and Kuttrieb.I don't know of anybody making that type anymore.Every one I see now are regular burner types.I replaced the old Lanair with a new Clean Burn in 1986,I am still using it.I have run many thousands of gallons of waste oil through that one.

 

[showcrop]

What mule meat said you will find many options.

 

[Determined]

For the small quantity you want for each cycle could you use a grease gun as a pump?

Between manual, electric or pneumatic one could devise a way of controlling the timing and stroke.

 

[ss55]

Would the pump off another fuel oil furnace work? Atomized oil should burn easier and cleaner than a steam of liquid.

 

[jm.]

Keith I am like you had both of the pot type back in the day when they were about all that was out there. we have 4 clean -burn and they are flawless. Service once a year and free heat.

 

[fred kobs]

Thanks for all the helpful replies guys. Mulemeat is onto something there, i found the dosing pumps last year when searching, just wasn't sure they would be durable enough for what i was looking for. going to give it a try. Just an fyi, the setup I am looking to build only keeps a thin layer of oil in the pan, when dialed in it should for the most part be burning as it drops into the pan, thus the need for the intermittent and adjustable flow. I tried the continuous flow and for my situation, lots of cold startups and only 3-4 evenings a week it was too easy to flood, flame out or what have you. Also don't have patience for tinkering until i figure it out anymore when I am cold. Thanks again all suggestions helped me form a plan. I will let you know the outcome in a month or so. Fred

 

[Butch(OH)]

Fred, sounds like your drip feed experience parallels mine. All I got done when in the shop was fool with the heater to keep it going. Tried many designs, found out that just because a person makes a u tube video and makes bold claims that doesn't mean it works. You are in the right track. Positively controlled feed rates are necessary IMO. I have a near endless supply of WMO, my shop heat stays on 24/7 so I needed all the safetys found in a UL listed unit. Other than cleaning out the ash mine has been maintenance free.

 

[showcrop]

(quoted from post at 01:53:46 09/21/21) Thanks for all the helpful replies guys. Mulemeat is onto something there, i found the dosing pumps last year when searching, just wasn't sure they would be durable enough for what i was looking for. going to give it a try. Just an fyi, the setup I am looking to build only keeps a thin layer of oil in the pan, when dialed in it should for the most part be burning as it drops into the pan, thus the need for the intermittent and adjustable flow. I tried the continuous flow and for my situation, lots of cold startups and only 3-4 evenings a week it was too easy to flood, flame out or what have you. Also don't have patience for tinkering until i figure it out anymore when I am cold. Thanks again all suggestions helped me form a plan. I will let you know the outcome in a month or so. Fred

Fred I have some of those dosing pumps that have been working trouble free for 25 years. You can replace the squeeze tube as needed quickly and cheaply.

 

[504]

clean Burn just runs a oil pump and compressed air to blow it into the chamber, Reznor is the same,it has been twenty years since I worked on. BTW, Waste Oil is a hazardous material,used oil is not. Label tanks with Used Oil and you are legal. Yes I have been inspected by the EPA,they gave me the used oil labels.

 

[Dusty MI]

(quoted from post at 18:27:04 09/21/21) clean Burn just runs a oil pump and compressed air to blow it into the chamber, Reznor is the same,it has been twenty years since I worked on. BTW, Waste Oil is a hazardous material,used oil is not. Label tanks with Used Oil and you are legal. Yes I have been inspected by the EPA,they gave me the used oil labels.

I have some fuel oil furnace/burner parts, if anyone needs some.

Dusty

 

[Al Baker(pumpman)]

Fred, I have messed around with waste oil a fair amount here in N Mich. I think I may have some good ideas that may help you. Please feel free to give me a call if you would like to talk more about it. I did switch over to a new clean burn system a 4 years ago. They had a very attractive out if season sale and trade in package. If I spread the cost over a 10 year span, which is what the warranty of the burner pot is, it made owning a new heater compared to messing around with building a homemade one a no brainer. Al 231/757/0064

 

[Mule Meat]

If this is a drip system or one that flows oil into the pan from near the bottom.

Have you got or considered a flash pan being installed? A flash pan is just a good piece of flat steel mounted about 1/2 of the way down inside of the burn chamber. The pan is angled down at about 45 degrees. Oil drips down, hits the pan and splatters. Once the pan gets hot the splatter ignites rather well and most of the oil burns instantly. The big advantage to having a flash pan is. The more oil that drips and splatters. The hotter the fire.